Tulsa
trash to energy plant is closing. Twenty years ago Tulsa made an
investment in the future, doing something to ensure Tulsa would be able
to handle its trash far into the future.

But now, after paying of the debt to
build it, the city has made the short-sighted decision to not use it,
because the the landfills offer a slightly lower rate.

But how long will that lower rate last?
We will eventually run out of landfill space, even in wide-open
Oklahoma. And what about all the talk about making Tulsa a "green" city?

City Public Works Department Director
Charles Hardt said, "In the end, I could not justify asking ratepayers
to continue subsidizing a private business at a time when we have an
existing agreement to take our refuse to the landfill, which charges a
substantially lower disposal rate than the trash-to-energy plant."

This is NOT subsidizing a
private company. It IS about making decisions in the best
long-term interest of the city. It is a classic case of being penny-wise
and pound foolish.